Pierre Etienne Bezier was
born on September 1, 1910 in Paris. Son and grandson of engineers, he chose
this profession too and enrolled to study mechanical engineering at the Ecole
des Arts et Metiers and received his degree in 1930. In the same year he entered
the Ecole Superieure d'Electricite and earnt a second degree in electrical
engineering in 1931. In 1977, 46 years later, he received his DSc degree in
mathematics from the University of Paris.

In 1933, aged 23, Bezier
entered Renault and worked for this company for 42 years. He started as Tool
Setter, became Tool Designer in 1934 and Head of the Tool Design Office in
1945. In 1948, as Director of Production Engineering he was responsable for
the design of the transfer lines producing most of the 4 CV mechanical parts.
In 1957, he became Director of Machine Tool Division and was responsable for
the automatic assembly of mechanical components, and for the design and production
of an NC drilling and milling machine, most probably one of the first machines
in Europe. Bezier become managing staff member for technical development in
1960 and held this position until 1975 when he retired.

Bezier started his research
in CADCAM in 1960 when he devoted a substantial amount of his time working
on his UNISURF system. From 1960, his research interest focused on drawing
machines, computer control, interactive free-form curve and surface design
and 3D milling for manufactoring clay models and masters. His system was launched
in 1968 and has been in full use since 1975 supporting about 1500 staff members
today.

Bezier's academic career
began in 1968 when he became Professor of Production Engineering at the Conservatoire
National des Arts et Metiers. He held this position until 1979. He wrote four
books, numerous papers and received several distinctions including the "Steven
Anson Coons" of the Association for Computing Machinery and the "Doctor
Honoris Causa" of the Technical University Berlin. He is an honorary
member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and of the Societe
Belge des Mecaniciens, ex-president of the Societe des Ingenieurs et Scientifiques
de France, Societe des Ingenieurs Arts et Metiers, and he was one of the first
Advisory Editors of "Computer-Aided Design".

Definition: A Bézier curve is a curved line or path defined by mathematical equations.
It was named after Pierre Bézier, a French mathematician and engineer
who developed this method of computer drawing in the late 1960s while working
for the car manufacturer Renault. Most graphics software includes a pen tool
for drawing paths with Bézier curves.

The most basic Bézier
curve is made up of two end points and control handles attached to each node.
The control handles define the shape of the curve on either side of the common
node. Drawing Bézier curves may seem baffling at first; it's something
that requires some study and practice to grasp the geometry involved. But
once mastered, Bezier curves are a wonderful way to draw!

Pierre Bézier was
born September 1, 1910 and died November 25, 1999 at the age of 89. In 1985
he was recognized by ACM SIGGRAPH with a 'Steven A. Coons' award for his lifetime
contribution to computer graphics and interactive techniques.

A Bezier curve with three
nodes. The center node is selected and the control handles are visible.

A Bezier curve with three
nodes. The second node (from left) is selected and the control handles are
visible.